Ford of Europe has uploaded this promotional video featuring the new Ford Ranger Wildtrak, which will be unveiled for the ASEAN market at the Thai Motoshow next week. It’s one huge mother, with two diesel engine options – a 2.2 litre inline-4 turbodiesel making 150 PS and 375Nm of torque, and a larger 5-cylinder turbodiesel making 200 PS and 470Nm of torque, which is pretty much the second highest power and torque in this segment of diesel pick-ups, beaten only by the Nissan Navara 3.0 DCi V6 with 231 PS and 550Nm! Not sure if ASEAN will be getting the larger engine or not but it sure sounds mighty fun.
[Read more...]
VIDEO: Ford Ranger Wildtrak promotional footage
2011 Perodua Myvi SE spotted – a sporty bright yellow!
March 18, 2011 at 4:19 pm Filed Under 2011 Perodua Myvi, Cars, Malaysian Makes, Perodua, Spyshots
Reader Azani was on the way to have his lunch at the Nasi Beriani Gam Batu Pahat when he saw this yellow next generation Perodua Myvi parked there, most probably the driver was enjoying some food as well!
This model has some seriously heavy disguise on but the bright yellow paint job as well as the different grille on the front compared to the previous spyshot we saw indicates that this might be a sporty “Myvi SE” version.
Look after the jump for a gallery of this yellow Myvi SE versus the normal silver Myvi that we spotted earlier this month. According to Perodua, you can expect the car to be launched sometime between July to September this year.
[Read more...]
Volkswagen Group Malaysia expands its dealer network
March 18, 2011 at 2:49 pm Filed Under Cars, Local News, Volkswagen
Volkswagen Group Malaysia has announced that it is expanding its dealer network in the country, with the appointment of two new authorised dealerships. VGM has signed a Letter of Intent with N3 Auto in Melaka and Laksana Development in Balakong, Selangor.
Both will operate 3S (Service, Sales and Spare Parts) VW dealerships that are fully compliant with Volkswagen’s corporate identity and design standards.
VGM currently has has seven authorised VW dealers operating 12 sales outlets and 10 service centres nationwide, including Sarawak. The latest addition, Volkswagen Amcorp Auto in Jalan Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur has been operational since late last year, while Okuan in Kuantan and DKV Automobil in Kota Kinabalu will soon be operational.
The list of VGM dealers are:
- Amcorp Auto – 3S in Jalan Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur.
- Cergaz Autohaus – 3S outlet in Taman Tun Dr.Ismail.
- F.A Wagen – 3S outlets in Jalan 222, Petaling Jaya and Johor Baru; 1S in Glenmarie.
- Wearnes VW – 1S (Sales) outlet in Jalan Ampang and Bangsar, service centre in Sg Besi.
- Veemer Motor – 3S in Old Klang Road.
- Goh Brothers Motor – 3S outlets in Penang Mainland, Penang Island and Ipoh.
- Ismaco Automotive – 3S outlet in Kuching, East Malaysia.
A chance to win a Hyundai Sonata – some putting involved
March 18, 2011 at 12:30 pm Filed Under Cars, Hyundai, Local News
Here’s a chance for you to win a spanking new Hyundai Sonata, though you’ll need to be making your way to the Maybank Malaysian Open golf tournament on April 14-17 for the chance to bag it.
Hyundai has again been named as the official car for the prestigious tournament, which will be held at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club. Also, as the official car sponsor, Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors is presenting a Tucson as the “Hole-in- One” prize for the duration of the tournament.
Additionally, the folks at HSDM have come up with the special prize of the aforementioned Sonata, which is open to be won by spectators at the event. In order to stand a chance to win it, participants need to purchase the season ticket or a daily ticket and be present at the course for all four days of the tournament. Participants must also ensure that they collect all the four stamps daily. On the fourth day, the qualified ticket holder must sink all three putts consecutively to win the car. Start practicing them putts, then.
Kia recalls 70,000 Optimas in the US over rollaway fears
March 18, 2011 at 12:16 pm Filed Under Cars, International News, Kia, Koreans
More on defects and recalls. Kia is recalling 70,115 Optima sedans in the US over over concerns that automatic transmission shift cables were improperly assembled, which in the worst case scenario can cause a parked car to roll away. It concerns models assembled between September 2005 and June 2007.
Last November, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened an investigation into rollaway concerns on the 2007 model year Optima. NHTSA said it received three complaints about automatic transmission shift cable detachment and inability to select/engage the gears – P, D and R. One of the complaints were of a rollaway incident.
The Korean carmaker has “concluded that this condition has not been creating real world safety incidents. However, it has concluded that under extraordinary circumstances a significant vehicle rolling event could potentially occur and has thus decided to conduct a recall,” the company said.
Kia has also identified that certain Optima vehicles had been manufactured with the shift cable connection improperly attached to the shifter assembly and changed its manufacturing procedures.
Waiting for your Hyundai ix35? Have an ix35 while waiting
March 18, 2011 at 11:51 am Filed Under Cars, Hyundai, International News, Koreans
Here’s a novel way to keep your customers happy, especially if they’re waiting for their new ride to arrive and it’s taking way longer than expected. Over in the UK, Hyundai has come up with a rather interesting plan, one that sees customers waiting for their new ix35 (the Tucson over here) to arrive to get an ix35 in the meantime.
Confusing? Not, once the details become clear. Seems that demand for the ix35 has been unprecedented, not only across Europe but also worldwide, resulting in supply not being able to meet demand, especially so in the case of the 2.0 litre diesel derivative.
So, in what is a unique approach, the UK office has come up with this: 200 of its longest waiting customers who have booked the 2.0 diesel SUVs will be offered a 1.7 litre diesel ix35, of which there is ready stock of. They purchase the manual 1.7, use it until their original 2.0 order arrives, at which point they trade-in the two-wheel drive 1.7 for the same price they paid for it, paying only the difference in the price of the 1.7 and 2.0 diesel versions.
The no-cost implications offer, which runs till the end of the month, also sees Hyundai giving the customer £300 to cover the costs incurred for arranging finance and insurance on two cars instead of one. The company is currently looking at the feasibility of rolling out this offer to other customers.
It’s a great deal for the UK ix35 buyer, so guess that’s one for them then. Don’t expect to be seeing something like this happening here from any car company, certainly not on this scale, if ever.
Honda recalls 18,056 Civics in the US, Odyssey too
March 18, 2011 at 11:01 am Filed Under Cars, Honda, International News
Right, here we go again. Honda has issued a recall on 18,056 model-year 2011 Civic sedans in the US for a potential problem that may arise with the fuel pump module, located inside the gas tank.
The problematic part in the affected cars is the roll-over valve, a component in the fuel pump module. Observations during assembly have revealed that the ROV – which prevents fuel from coming out of the tank if a car overturns – may have been damaged during production; a cracked roll-over valve may allow fuel leakage from the gasoline tank into the evaporative emissions canister if the car rolls over.
The recall begins sometime in mid-April to inspect and, if necessary, replace the fuel pump module inside the gasoline tank of the affected cars. Honda says that no crashes or injuries have been reported related to the defect.
Elsewhere, 33,341 Odyssey MPVs are also being recalled in the US to get their windshield wiper linkage rod replaced. Apparently, the wipers may be frozen to the windscreen in heavy ice conditions, and switching on the wipers without freeing them from the glass might bend the linkage rod, thereby rendering them useless, which is not a good thing of course. Again, no crashes or injuries have been reported due to this defect.
Renaultsport to be a standalone brand with unique models
March 18, 2011 at 8:55 am Filed Under Cars, International News, Renault
Renault’s performance division that churns out highly-rated hot versions of the Clio and Megane, Renaultsport, is set to be a standalone brand, with its own unique models. However, this new strategy doesn’t mean that RS will stop tweaking Renault’s hatchbacks – we can expect more cars like the Megane 250 Cup in the future.
“Renaultsport is key to Renault’s strategy. It already has excellent loyalty and is perceived by some owners as a brand in its own right, and we can develop that further,” Renault product manager Beatrice Foucher told Autocar UK.
“We will continue working on derivative versions of the Megane, for example, because that’s a terrific car and excellent for us. But we also need specific models only for Renaultsport. We have started working on that; we’re thinking of small volumes, where there are good business models.”
The mag’s well-placed sources say that this new strategy will be spearheaded by a convertible version of the beautiful DeZir concept from Paris 2010. That car, the first to show off Renault’s future face, is an EV with lithium ion batteries and Kevlar body panels. Does this mean that Renaultsport’s future is electric, or will the mooted model revert to a conventional powerplant?
We’ve had a few gems from Dieppe-based Renaultsport here in Malaysia – the Clio RS, Megane R26 and the Megane 250 Cup – and hope that there’s more to come from the expert tuners. We hear that the new Clio RS is on the way, stay tuned!
Honda Brio makes production debut in Thailand
March 17, 2011 at 5:57 pm Filed Under Cars, Honda, International News
Honda Thailand today officially launched its Brio compact – the world premiere of the eco-car, as it’s tagged, took place at the Royal Paragon Hall at Siam Paragon in Bangkok earlier this evening.
The launch of the production A-segment Brio follows very closely on the unveiling of the car in its “concept” form at last November’s Bangkok Motor Show. The car was also spied very recently on the road in Thailand.
With no English press kit to work on, the reliance is on Google Translate to work the material off the Honda Thailand website, so let’s see what there is on the production car. It’s available in the Thai market in two versions, the S and the V, with both versions featuring a five-speed manual transmission, and the V is also available with a CVT transmission, making for three variants in all.
Both S and V versions are powered by an i-VTEC four-cylinder 1.2 litre SOHC block, offering 90 hp at 6,000 rpm and 110 Nm at 4,800 rpm; the engine – which is Euro-4 compliant – can utilise E20 fuel, and offers a claimed fuel economy of 20 km per litre.
The production car measures in at 3,610 mm long, 1,680 mm wide and 1,485 mm in height, essentially the same as on the concept, and has a wheelbase measuring 2,345 mm. Honda says that the short body of the Brio, in addition to providing good mobility and driving characteristics, allows for excellent visibility and makes driving and parking on narrow streets an easy proposition.
Much of the car’s selling point is also based on its interior space – there’s lots of headroom within the two-tone cabin and plenty of storage space at the back, enough to accommodate large bags, clothing, a stroller or even a golf bag. Presumably, some of these will have to see the rear seats being folded down.
Safety kit-wise, the car features preventive and proactive gear such as ABS – available across the model range – and electronic brake force distribution (EBD). There are also dual front air bags as well as seatbelt tensioners, again available as standard issue on all the three Brio variants.
Other features include halogen headlamps, a rear spoiler with a LED-equipped brake lamp, electric power steering, adjustable steering wheel, a two-DIN audio head-unit with USB and aux connections, sport design front seats, an alarm as well as an immobiliser system. The Brio sits on 14-inch wheels, wearing 175/65 series tyres – the base S model comes with steel wheels, while the V versions feature alloys.
Five colours are available for the Thai Brio, these being the hero green shade called Fresh Lime, Taffeta White, Cerulean Blue, Alabaster Silver and a pearlescent Crystal Black.
The entry-level Brio Model S manual transmission is priced at 399,900 Baht (RM40,300), while the manual transmission version of the V goes for 469,500 Baht (RM47,300) and the Model V CVT transmission variant goes for 508,500 Baht (RM51,235). Honda Thailand is expecting to move about 40,000 units of the Brio in the first year of its introduction.
Gallery of Brio pix as well as videos after the jump.
[Read more...]
Thailand aims to keep its No 1 production spot in ASEAN
March 17, 2011 at 4:22 pm Filed Under Cars, International News
It looks like Thailand is responding to Indonesia’s emergence in aiming to be top gun in terms of automotive manufacturing in ASEAN. A report states that the country is set to spend 3.42 billion Baht (US$113 million) over the next three years to develop the nation’s auto industry; the amount was approved by the Thai cabinet earlier this week.
Most of the spending will focus on developing a skilled workforce, the report said. The country produced more than 1.6 million vehicles last year, and by 2014 the output could be in the region of three million vehicles.
With the major obstacle being a shortage of skilled labout to meet the increased demands, most of the money – around 2.17 billion Baht – will be spent on skills training. The rest will be used to develop what has been called an “integrated testing ground”, to both raise automobiles and parts standards as well as up the country’s competitiveness in terms of car testing facilities and abilities.